Deron Williams’ Thoughts on the Utah Jazz

Deron Williams recently jumped on the Knuckleheads Podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. They asked him about the current state of the Utah Jazz and also got him to open up a little more about his time in Utah and how things went when he left.

Per usual, Moni put together an awesome string of videos to recap the podcast and highlight some of the key quotes. I thought this brought some really interesting quotes that were worth discussing here on the Dunk for today’s downbeat!

Most favorite part in this clip is Deron Williams realizing that he’s taller than Donovan Mitchell. With how high Spida can play above the rim I can certainly see how it would be easy to assume that he’s taller than he really is. I agree Deron, his bounce is stupid! DWill thinks the Jazz are probably still 1 piece away. Can Mike Conley be that piece now? Deron wants to see him be more aggressive!

The way Deron’s face lights up when they say AK-47 made me smile. Andrei Kirilenko would be an absolute beast in today’s NBA. Instead of being a “tweeter” his versatility would be such an asset. There are few player’s from Utah’s past that I would want to add to this current roster more than Andrei.

This is the first time I’ve heard about Jerry Sloan making guys switch positions and run through the offense again. He wanted everyone to know everyone’s role like it was their own. There’s a reason Jerry’s offense was so successful. If you didn’t know it like the back of your hand you probably weren’t going to see the floor. His offense was a work of art! And Deron clearly has an incredibly high level of respect for that, something he references when he realizes how well that system worked when having to play in someone else’s.

Also, “We were running charge drills in February!” had me laughing!

Alright, last one I’ll focus on. The Exit. “I kind of led them to believe I was going to leave.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that’s the first time I’ve heard DWill say that outright. It’s not necessarily surprising given what happened, but that trade sure makes a lot more sense now. It was less jettisoning the guy that pushed the hall of fame coach out the door and more getting something for your star before he leaves for nothing. “You don’t appreciate stuff until it’s gone.” Like we all know, Deron likely would have handled his last year in Utah very differently in retrospect. He lost quite a few games for the Nets and played for 4 coaches in 3.5 years. After spending his entire career in a very successful Jerry Sloan system. He says he even lost confidence, something I wouldn’t have thought possible out of DWill.

I still remember where I was when the trade news broke. It was my freshman year at Utah State and I was just about to start a class in the Eccles Science Learning Center. Did I listen much to class that day? Not at all. I ended up reading anything and everything I could about the trade because I was just blown away. It was an explosive end to a very successful era. One that I believe everyone wishes had ended differently.

At the end of the day, I’m very happy to see Deron welcomed back into the fold. He’s a Utah Jazz great and should be involved in the franchise where possible. He was one of the best in the league in his prime and was so fun to cheer for. It was great to hear his thoughts on the current state of the Jazz and hear his perspective on his playing days in Utah. I can’t possibly write this downbeat with including some of his highlights and killer crossovers, so here you go!